Apparatus for stretching and releasably holding carpeting



Feb. 24,1970 R. H. RoBBlNs 3,496,593

y APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND RELEASABLY HOLDING CARPETING Filed oct. 2s, 19s? 3 INVQNTOR dah Rob//zs United States Patent 3,496,593 APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND RELEAS- ABLY HGLDING CARPETING Ralph H. Robbins, Rte. 3, Tonganoxie, Kans. 66086 Filed Oct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,401 Int. Cl. A47g 27/04 U.S. Cl. 16-5 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the installation of ia carpet, the latter is stretched between opposed edges thereof by securing one edge to a tack strip and the other edge to a flat holding element disposed beneath the carpet. The element is provided with upwardly projecting barbs which impale the carpet and is shifted away from the tack strip by a toggle assembly mounted on the floor. The carpet pad is cutaway to receive the holding element and the toggle assembly, the latter being completely withdrawn within the opening when extended. The assembly locks by a toggle action but may be released to allow the carpet to be easily taken up for cleaning or restretching at a later time.

In the tackless installation of wall-to-wall carpeting, it is common practice to nail tack strips to the floor at the wall baseboards and then stretch the carpet over the strips. Heretofore, a stretching pole jacked against the opposite wall has oftentimes been utilized as the means of stretching the carpet. A carpet laid by this technique normally remains in place throughout its life and is cleaned in place, since it is diilicult to take up the carpet and, if taken up, it lmust then be completely reinstalled.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide carpet-laying apparatus which may be readily operated by a homeowner or others not specially skilled, and which provides an installation of a permanent nature and yet allows the carpet to be easily taken up for restretch- `ing or cleaning.

As a corollary to the foregoing object it is an important aim of the instant invention to provide apparatus as aforesaid including means for stretching the carpet which is operated with the carpet spread thereover to both effect the desired stretching and release the stretched carpet when it is desired to take it up.

Another important object of the invention is to provide apparatus as aforesaid which becomes a part of the installation and remains under the carpet at all times concealed from view.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the iioor arrangement of a room to be carpeted, showing the pad and the installing apparatus in place;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, longitudinal sectional view of one of the toggle assemblies and carpet-holding elements of the apparatus, and reveals the carpet prior to operation of the assembly to effect the stretching; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the carpet being broken away for clarity.

FIGURE 1 shows a rectangular carpet pad 10 overlying the floor 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of a rectangular room and extending substantially from wall-to-wall between the opposed end walls 14 and 16 and the opposed sidewalls 18 and 20 of the room. It should be noted that pad 10, at walls 14 and 18, terminates in closely spaced relationship to such walls to permit a pair of -tack strips 22 and 24 to be nailed to floor 12 along the bottoms of walls 14 and 18 respectively. The tack strips 22 and 24 comprise wooden strips having nails driven therethrough from the bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom at an inclination toward the adjacent wall.

3,496,593 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 ice The pad 10 is cutaway along walls 16 and 20 at seven places to provide seven T-shaped openings 26, a carpetholding and stretching device 28 being disposed within each opening 26 as is particularly clear in FIGS. 2 and 3. A number of shorter tack strips 30 are secured to floor 12 and extend along the. bottoms of walls 16 and 20 between the various openings 26 and between the outside opening 26 of each row and the adjacent corner of the room. It should be noted that the tack strips 30 do not extend across the openings 26.

Each of the devices 28 comprises a base formed by a channel member 32, extensible and collapsible linkage in the nature of a toggle assembly 34 mounted on base member 32, and a T-shaped head 36. The channel member 32 extends at right angles to the adjacent wall (wall 20 in FIGS. 2 and 3) and is secured to floor 12 by wood screws 38 or other suitable means. The two longitudinal flanges of member 32 extend upwardly and are provided with a pair of aligned, longitudinally extending guide slots 40 adjacent the ends thereof proximal to wall 20.

The toggle assembly 34 includes a forward link 42 and a rear link 44, the latter being formed by a pair of parallel link segments as is clear in FIG. 3. The inner ends of links 42 and 44 are pivotally joined by a pivot pin 46, the outer end of rear link 44 being pivotally joined to channel member 32 by a crosspin 48 bridging the upturned tianges of member 32 at the extremity thereof remote from wall 20.

The head 36 includes an elongated, at, carpet-holding element 50 provided with upturned, pointed projections or barbs 52 which pierce a carpet 54 overlying pad 10. Several rows of projections 52 are. provided to assure that the carpet is securely gripped from beneath adjacent its edge 55, much in the same manner as the piercing and holding action of the tack strips 22, 24 and 30. The ends of element 50 are downturned to present lips '56 that ride along the upper surface of door 12 to hold the barbs against carpet 54.

The head 36 is also provided with a pair of juxtaposed fingers 58 integral with element 50 and extending therefrom to the forward end of toggle assembly 34. Fingers S8 are pivotally joined to the forward end of link 42 by a pivot pin 60 which rides in the aligned, horizontally extending slots 40 in the upturned flanges of channel member 32. The toggle assembly 34 is shown in a retracted position in FIGS. 2 and 3 which, as is clear in FIG. 2, causes a hump 62 to be formed in carpet 54.

In use, the carpet 54 is cut to a size somewhat smaller than the size of the oor to permit the desired stretching during installation. The tack strips 22 and 24 provide initial lines of attachment for carpet yS4 at the two walls 14 and 18 from which the carpet 54 is then stretched by the operation of the various devices 28.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the toggle assembly 34 of the device 28 there illustrated is shown retracted with the carpet 54 spread loosely thereover. With carpet 54 pulled sufficiently tight to eliminate any loose slack therein, the projections 52 on holding element 50 are caused to pierce the backside of carpet 54 adjacent edge 55 by the simple application of downward pressure. Then, the installer applies a downward force to the hump 62 at the region thereof overlying the center pin 46 of toggle assembly 34, thereby causing the ends of assembly 34 to spread as the links 42 and 44 straighten or shift into positions in alignment with each other. This toggles the links and simultaneously withdraws the same completely within opening 26 to eliminate the hump 62, the links 42 and `44 now resting against the upper surface of base member 32.

As the toggle links 42 and 44 are shifted from the retracted position illustrated to the extended position just discussed, guide slots 40 conne the forward pivot pin 60 to horizontal movement to, in turn, advance holding element 50 along the floor 12 toward wall 20. Manifestly,

3 this stretches the carpet 54 and shifts its edge 55 into a-butting relationship with wall 20 to provide a neat installation. The carpet 54 may then be secured to tack strips 30.

With the toggle assembly 34 in its extended position where links 42 and 44 are in longitudinal alignment, it may be appreciated that the assembly 34 is locked against return movement to the retracted position thereof illustrated. Therefore, once actuated, release of the assembly 34 to permit the carpet 54 to be taken up cannot be effected except by raising the links 42 and 44 which, of course, will not occur during use of the carpet. Thus, the installation has a permanent appearance, yet the carpet 54 may be easily taken up by releasing the various toggle assemblies 34. This is effected by inserting a slender, hooked instrument (such as a stift wire) downwardly between the bers of carpet 54 and manipulating the instrument until one of the links 42 or 44 is hooked, whereupon a slight upward pull releases the links.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: therefor comprising:

1. A covering for a oor and installation means therefor comprising:

a carpet generally conforming in shape `and size to said floor and adapted to be spread over the latter,

said carpet having a pair of opposed edges;

fastening means for securing one of said edges of the carpet to the floor;

a holding element beneath the carpet having means engaging the latter adjacent the other of said edges thereof to secure the carpet to the element;

means beneath the carpet coupled with said element for mounting the latter on the floor remote from said fastening means for movement toward and away from the latter whereby, as the element moves away from the fastening means, the carpet is progressively stretched and held in overlying relationship to the floor; and

a pad beneath the carpet having an opening therein lying in a generally horizontal plane and receiving said element and said mounting means,

said mounting means including extensible and retractible structure having a retracted position in which the structure extends upwardly out of said opening and forms a hump in the carpet,

said structure having means underlying said hump and responsive to application of downwardly directed force to said hump for causing the structure to shift to an extended position completely within said opening eliminating said hump and effecting movement of said element in the plane of said opening away from said fastening means to stretch the carpet in a plane parallel to the plane of said opening,

said structure releasably locking itself in its extended position upon movement thereto from said retracted position thereof.

2. The invention of claim 1,

said element having a at conguration in the plane of said opening and being provided with a number of projections extending upwardly therefrom out of said opening and impaling the carpet thereabove to present said means securing the carpet to the element,

said structure having a pair of opposed ends and upon movement from said retracted position to said extended position, being operable to spread said ends and completely withdraw the structure into the opening to eliminate said hump,

said mounting means further including means connected to one of said ends for securing the latter to the oor,

said element being attached to the other of said ends.

3. The invention of claim 1,

said structure comprising a toggle assembly having a pair of pivotally interconnected links presenting a pair of opposed ends remote from the interconnection thereof,

said mounting means further including a base adapted to be lixedly secured to the floor, and means pivotally connecting one of said ends of the assembly to the base,

said assembly being disposed with said one end thereof between the other of said ends and said fastening means,

said element being pivotally attached to said other end,

Said links when toggled presenting said extended position of the structure,

said base being provided with means confining the axis of pivotal attachment of the element to said other end to a generally horizontal path of travel in the plane of said opening as the links are toggled.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,018,194 2/1912 Hoge et al. 16-17 959,277 5/1910 Weinstock 16-17 1,039,022 9/1912 Burks 254-63 2,160,134 5/1939 Fanning 254-63 2,614,284 10/1952 Elchin 16-5 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner DORIS L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

